Kite



1932- T. w. BESLEY 1,880,694

KITE

Filed Sept. 25 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 7am W 5681 Oct. 4, 1932. T. w. BESLEY 1,880,594

KITE

Filed Sept. 25, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @11 M w M )1 [m l I Patented Oct. 4, 1932 U N Fl? Sil TOIVLW. BESLEY, OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA,

, KITE Application filedseptemb er25,1929:) SeriaiNo. 394,996;

This invention relates to improvements ini' extremely careless in-' the necessary operas kites, andmore particularlyto knockdown: kites whichmaybe placed uponthe market;

dismantled ina very compact container: for laterassembly by the purchaser, the kite beingpreferably of a shape-which is-to some extent an imitation of an aeroplane,- although: the lnvention may have many and VZLTlOllS uses-as will lo'eapparent to one skilled in the art.

In the past, many and various types of kites have been developed; and'someof these were knockdown kites initially delivered to 1 thecustomer incompactform to be assenn bled'by the'customer, but these kites for-various reasons have in most instances proven' ob= jectionable; Gne major objection tothese formerly known kiteslies in the fact that they are of undesirably complicated construction and difficult-to assemble, the complicatecl=con-' structionresulting in an obj ectionably highmanufacturing cost and purchase pri'ce', andthe difiicult. assembling operations necessary frequently resultf in-inj'ury to portions of the kite which frequently amount'to' an injury sufficient to interfere: with the proper flyingof the kite or-disableit entirely. In every instance of which I am aware-in previously known knockdown kites, thekites were not capable of" absolute dismantling, but when in collapsed or knockdown form, stilllhad'many pieces hingedly connected, which pieces were merely folded intojuxtaposed relative position. To assemble a kite of this character,

in at least that portion ofthe frame which is hingedly connected, it is simply necessary to hold one stick and pull upon another'stick so thatpractically the entireif'rame. work will immediatelybe expandedintooperative positlon. Such kites are 0b]6Ct1OIl1bli-3,,S1I10e, 1n

nearly every instance thekite will be assembled by a child, and these kites would be totally lacking, in benefit to-the child from.

an educative standpointof view;

- The present invention has been designed to overcome the above noted, as well as many other objections, in the provision of a kite which may be-very easily and readily taken apart or assembled'with minimum danger of injury unlesstheparty assembling the kite is tions.

The invention also seeks the-provision of a kite which 'may be dismantled,. which" in eludes a minimum :of actual fastening means,

and in which certain portions of the kite it- "self cooperate with=otherportions to maintain parts of the structure inzassembled position' without theaid of extraneous means.

A further obj ect ofthis invention is to provide a kite which iscomplet'el y collapsible to the last piece, and yet which-may be very 'eX-' peditiously assembled evenby achild;

Still a further object of 'this' invention is the provision'of 'a kite-capable of being dis-- mantledsoas to occupyan extremely small" invention to provide a kite which, although very simple in construction, is formed to' presentrelativelylarge wind'surfaces in such' a manner-thattlie kite will very easily ele= vate itself and remain' in a condition of great stability while. flying;

While some o-fthe more salient features,- characteristics, and advantages of" a device embodying this invention have been above pointed. out, others will Become apparent from the following disclosure.

The invention includes these and other features of construction and combinations-off parts hereinafter described, and shown in a preferred form in the drawings, as more particularly indicated by the claims.

On thedrawings:

Figure 1' is a side elevational view of. a,

kite embodying principles of the present in vention, show-ingthe same iniflying position. Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the kite shown in Figure 1. v Figure 3' is an enlarged'fragmentary"sec tional view, withparts in elevation, taken substantially as indicated by the line II1- Illv of Figure-2.7

Figure 4; is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken substantially as indicated by the line IVIV of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sec-- tional view taken substantially as indicated by the line VV of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view indicating how the sheet structure embodied in the kite may be formed.

Figure 7 is a view showing various portions of the kite, exclusive of the sheet structure, in collective order.

Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the kite may be dis mantled and packed for shipment.

Figure 9 is a front elevational view of the kite assembled.

Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line XX of Figure 9.

As shown on the drawings: a At the outset, it is to be understood tha hereinafter and in the claims hereto annexed, where the term sticks is used, the 'StlllC-f ture designated thereby is not to be limited to wooden element-s, but is to be construed as elements of equivalent character and function made of any desirable material; where the term sheet is used, this term is also to be construed as meaning, a structure ofequivalent character and function madeiof any desirable material.

In the structure selected to illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, there is shown a kite including a wing or plane generally indicated by the reference numeral 11, a pair of spaced body sticks 12 removably attached at their forward portion to the wing 11, and a cruciform rudder generally indicated by the numeral 13 mounted on therear portions of the body sticks 12. If so desired, any suitable form of tail 14, as indicated by the dotted linesin Figure 1, may be attached to the rear portion of the rudder, such a tail being some times desirable flown in a stifi' wind.

In this instance, the wing or plane 11 comprises a flexible sheet 15, preferably of paper, provided with tubular margins 16, preferably formed by doubling the margin of the sheet back upon itself and securing the rim thereof to the body of the sheet by any suitable adhesive. Passing through each of the tubular margins 16 is a wing stick 17, preferably of a material at least partially resilient, and provided with conical or relatively if the kite is sharpened tips 18. To form a complete wing.

frame sufficient to maintain thesheet 15 in properly expanded or stretched positioman angular end member 19 is provided adjacenteach short side of the wing. The end members 19 each have inwardly turned tips 20, the end members being apertured adjacent the tips to fit over the conical tips 18 of the wing sticks, and the tips 20 being suitably apertured in the inwardly turned portions thereof for the reception of the hooked ends of a pair of dihedral or tension rods 21. These tension rods 21 extend substantially and 7 parallel to the wing sticks 17, but are relatively shorter than the wing sticks so that the latter will bow downwardly when the tension members are applied, whereby the wing tubular margins 16' of the sheet 15 are also apertured both above and below the wing sticks 17 as indicated more clearly at 24: in

L Figure 3. Through the aligned apertures cotter pins 25 are passed to secure the body 7 sticks to the kite wing 11. Any desired number of cotter pins or equivalent securing means may be utilized for this purpose, but as shown in thedrawings, four pins have been found to be suiiicient. Between. the apertures 22 in the body sticks 11 another aperture 26 is provided in each stick for the reception of a cotter pin 27 which passes through the body sticks and sheet 15 and to the eyeof which an end of asmall cord. 28 is secured. The small cord 28 will hang in the form of a V at the apex of which the 'main cord 29 is attached, this latter cord being the one by which the kite is controlled during flight.

At the rear portion of the body sticks 12. the cruciform rudder 13 is provided by means now to be described. A pair of relatively short sticks 30 having semi-circularly notched ends, as indicated at 31 in Figure 4, extend transversely between the rear portions of the body sticks 12, the notched ends 31cmbracing a portion of the body sticks. These transverse rods 30 increase the space between the body sticks and cause the latter, due to theirinherent resiliency, to assume a pleas; mg curvature as indicated at 32 in Figure 2.

The resiliency of the body sticks 12 effective- 1y maintain the transverse sticks 30 in proper position without the aid of any securing means or adhesive. Between the transverse sticks 30 a sheet 33 similar'to the sheet 15 and 1 having tubular margins 34: similar to the margins 16 is connected to the body sticks, the rear portions of these sticks passing through the tubular'margins, and prevents additional spreading of the bodysticks while at the same time maintaining the transverse sticksQO the proper distance apart. As seen moreclearly in Figures 5 and 9, the trans verse sticks 30 are each provided with a central aperture through which an upright stick 35 passes, each upright extendingsubstanire ' tially an equal distanceabove and=below its BOT corresponding transverse stick 30. Above the sheet 33 and substantially normal there to a sheet 36 havingtubular margins 37 isdisposed, the margins 37 passing over the upright sticks 35. A similar sheet is provided on the sticks- 35 below the sheet 33. It will beapparent from the foregoing that the transverse sticks 30are prevented-from moving away from the edges of the sheet 33 bynieans of the two sheets 36, and that therefore aconstruction equivalent to k a combination of horizontal and vertical rudders, in other words acruciform rudder,-is provided which ismaiiitained in posit-ion entirely'by the sheets forming the windsur-faces for the rudder and by the resiliency of the body sticks 32.

It is 'tobe noted that the various sheets 15, 33, and the two sheets 36, may be all cut from the same initial strip of material provided with tubular margins, as indicated clearly in Figure 6. Moreover, the other portions of the kite may be embodied in standard parts of standard lengths, as clearly shown in Figure 7, which illustrates all of the parts necessary to form the kite in collective order, exclusive of the sheets and cotter pins.

As indicated in Figure 8, the entire kite may be dismantled and packed in a compact cylinder 38, whereby the kite may be easily and readily shipped or carried from place to place.

In operation, the present invention is extremely simple. Assuming now that the kite is packed in the cylinder 38 and it is desired to assemble the same, it is simply necessary to unpack the various parts and firstly spread out the sheets 15, 33, and 36. The wing s icks 17 are inserted one in each of the margins 16 of the sheet and the end member 19 are then placed upon the protruding extremities 18 of the wing sticks. The flexible tips 20 of the end member 19 are bent inwardly, if this has not previously been done by the manufacturer or shipper, and the dihedral or tension rods 21 are next hooked into the apertures in the inwardly bent strips 20. The wing is preferably disposed edgewise upon the floor and pressure exerted upon the upper edge thereof suflicient to bow the wing sticks to an extent permitting the easy attachment of the dihedral or tension rods which will then maintain the wing sticks in bowed positions to provide the desired arcuate wing.

After the wing is so formed, the body sticks 12 are next attached thereto by the simple expedient of inserting cotter pins 25 through the aligned holes in the body and wing sticks. Cotter pins 27 may also be in serted and the transverse cord 28 and flying cord 29 attached thereto. It is to be noted that the cotter pins 27 are spaced some dis- Manes from the forward edge of the wing,

whereby the wing is provided with sufficient loft to cause an easy elevation ofthe kite.

The cruciform rudder is next formedby first mounting the-innermost of the transverse sticks between-the body sticks,-slipping the tubular margins 34 of'the sheet 33- over the outer portions of the body sticks, and then attaching the outermost of the transverse f sticks 30. Previous orsubsequent tothis operation, the upright sticks 35 mayibe insert edin-the apertures in the transverse sticks 30, andthen it-is a simple expedient to pass the tu'bular'margins 37 of the sheets 36 over the upright-sticks 35 to complete the assem bly of the kite.

standardizedparts, which may be placedirr a compact container, and which is extremely economical to manufacture. Moreover, the kite when assembledand fiying is possessed of great stability due to the balanceandratio of the flying or wind surfaces thereof, and due to the cruciform tail and dihedral wing In addition, the kite is of educational value to a child, in that it may be" assembled complete in every detail by the child.

Iain aware that numerous details of con struction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention: 1- a 1. As an articleofmanufacture, a knockdownkite including a wing, and a body portion comprising a plurality of resilient sticks attachable adjacent theforward parts thereof to said wing, means disposed between-said sticks to maintain the rear parts I thereof spaced apart farther than said forward parts,

and means associated with said first said means to provide wlnd-surfaces. V

2. As an article of manufacture, a kite includinga wing, a pair of spaced sticks extending rearwardly from said wing, means-disposed between said sticks'adjacent the rear portions thereof to IHGI'BQSQ, the spacing therebetweenfland a flexible sheetconnected to said sticks adjacent said means. n 3. As an article ofmanufactur'e, a kite including a wing, a pair of spaced'body sticks extending rearwardly from said wing, a pair of shorter sticks disposed transversely be,

tween said body sticks to increase the spacing From the foregoing, it will be apparentiso' transversely to said body sticks adjacent the rear portions thereof, saldshorter sticks being retained in position by the resiliency of said body sticks.

5. As an'art-icle of manufacture, a kite in-' cludmg a wing, a pair of spaced sticks extending rearwardly, from said wing, a pairof shorter sticks disposed transversely between said spaced sticks to increase the spacing therebetween adjacent the rear portionsthereof, a sheet of fleniblematerial connected to said spaced sticks between said shorter sticks, a stick-connected transversely to each of said shorter sticks a' flexible'sheet conn'ccted to said lastly mentioned sticks above .saidfirstly mentioned sheet, and a flexible sheet connected to said lastly mentioned sticks below said-firstly mentioned sheet. 7

-6. As an article of manufacture, a kite '1neluding a wing,a pair of spaced'sticks' ex- -.tending rearwardly fromsaid wing, a pair of transverse sticks held between sa1d spaced sticks by the resiliency thereof to increase, the spacing therebetween.- a sheet of flexible ma- 10. As an article of manufacture, a kite including a wing, body sticks extending rearwardly therefrom, and a cruciform rudder comprising. a pair of transverse sticks resiliently held by said body sticks, a flexible sheet between said transverse sticks, a pairof vertical sticks bisecting said transverse sticks and passing therethrough, and flexible sheets connectible to said vertical sticks above and below said transverse sticks.

11. As an article of manufacture, a kite comprising a wing, a pair of spaced resilient body sticks connected to said wing, and a rudder for said kite disposed between and held in position by the resiliency of said'body sticks; 80-

In testimony whereof I-have'hereunto s'ubi scribed my name at Council Blufi's, Pottal wattamie County, Iowa.

TOM W. BESLEY.

terial connected to said spaced sticks between said transverse sticks, a pairof upright sticks attached tosaid transverse sticks, and a sheet of flexible material connected to said last men:

tioned sticks to provide a rudder and prevent separation of said transverse sticks. 7 As an article of manufacture; a kite including a win body sticks extending rearwardlv therefrom. and a cruciform rudder formed of 'aplurality of sticks. and flexible sheets each connectible to a pair of said sticks,

said rudder being retained in nosition by said sheets and the res liency of said body sticks. 8. The combination. in a kite ofa single horizontal win shaving straight tension members i oining the ends'thereof to bow said wing and form a dihedral, a body section comprisin apair of spaced resilient sticks attachable adjacent the forward part thereof to said.

wing. and a cruciform rudder formed of a plurality ofsticks and flexible sheets each connectible to a- .pair of said. sticks. certain parts of said rudder being disposed between the body sticks and-held in position by the resiliency of said body sticks.

9. In a kite,.awing section comprising a "pair of resilient wing sticks having pointed ends, a flexible sheet connecting said wing sticks.,-a pairofrigid end members apertured at each end thereof; to receive said pointed endsand hold said wing sticks in spaced relationship and having inwardly turned apertured tips at each end, and a pair-of tension 7 members shorter than said. wing sticks and adapted tojoin' sa1dt1ps and bow said resilient -,st1cks to provide said wing with a dihedral; 

